FILE CORRUPTED
by TheRealCooper
Summary: A young man with mental issues named Victor joins a literature club full of cute girls! What could possibly go wrong? Not what you think, certainly. Semi-Realistic DDLC. Rated M because you know why, as well as other things.
1. Ch1: The First Day

**Hey guys. So uhhh... I kinda hit a wall with AFSI, and the construction crew is kinda taking a long time to get here, so, uhhh... Here's something to fill that little void I got. I hope you all enjoy [FILE CORRUPTED]!**

 **DDLC is property of Dan Salvato. I own a lot of things, but my own franchise is not one of them. Probably never will be, either.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The first day

"Heeeeeeeyyy!" I heard a cheerful voice shout, catching my attention. I turn around and see a happy-go-lucky-looking girl running towards me, waving her hands in the air like she just doesn't care about any unwanted attention. She was a girl my age with short, pinkish-orange hair with a red bow tilted to the side, had bright blue eyes, and wore a disheveled version of the school uniform. The jacket was unbuttoned, and the white collar was wrinkled and had a toothpaste stain on it. The vest was orange with a pattern reminiscent of scales, and a wrinkled blue skirt. Tying it all together (hehe) was a little red ribbon tied into a bow just below her collar.

That girl was Sayori, my neighbor and good friend since we were kids. You know, the kind of friend you wouldn't see yourself making today, but it just kinda works out since you've known each other for so long by that point? Yeah, it was kinda like that. We used to walk to school together all the time on days like these, but ever since we hit high school, she started oversleeping more and more often, and I couldn't afford to wait for her, else I would be late for school. But even though she chased me all this way, I was half-tempted to keep walking, just to mess with her. But, I decided to wait for her with a sigh as I wait on the sidewalk. It has been a long time since we walked to school, after all. Sayori reached me, doubling over and gasping for air.

"Haaahhh...Haaahhh… I overslept again!" She immediately stood back up with a victorious grin. "But I caught you this time!" I crack a smirk.

"Maybe, but only because I decided to stop and wait for you." She recoiled in shock.

"Eeehhhh, you say that like you were thinking about ignoring me!" She then did that thing where she pouts with her cheeks puffed out and poking her two index fingers together that made her look adorable. "That's mean, Vic!"

"Well, if people stare at us for acting weird, might as well let them know we're not a couple." Sayori put on her usual smile.

"Fine, fine. But you did wait for me after all. Guess you don't have it in you to be mean to me, even if you want to~"

"Whatever you say, Ri."

"Ehehe~"

We crossed the street together and make our way to school. As we drew near, the streets became much more crowded as other students came in, too.

"By the way, Vic...Have you decided on a club to join, yet?" I stared at her with a deadpan expression.

"A club? I'm pretty sure I told you I wasn't interested in any clubs. Haven't really been looking, either."

"Eh? That's not true! You told me you'd join a club this year!"

"Wait, what? I did?" Then again, there have been times where she just rambles on and I just agree to whatever she says, so it's not exactly impossible. Ri tends to worry a little TOO much about me when I'm content just getting by on the average while spending my free time on games, anime, and fanfiction. Sayori put her hands on her hips.

"Uh-huh! I was talking about how I'm worried that you won't learn how to socialize or have any skills before college. Your happiness is really important to me, you know? And I know you're happy now, but I'd DIE at the thought of you becoming a NEET in a few years because you're not used to the real world!" Her eyes then grew sad. "You trust me, right? Please, don't make me keep worrying about you…" She trailed off. I became filled with guilt at the sight of her sadness. I let out a sigh.

"Alright, alright. I'll look at a few clubs if it makes you happy. No promises though." I finished with a warning.

"Will you at least promise to try? At least a little bit?"

"Yeah. I promise." This was enough to get her back to her cheery self.

"Yaay~!" Seeing her so happy never failed to put a smile on my face. I couldn't believe I was letting myself be lectured by such a carefree girl. Then again, said carefree girl was the only good thing I really had left. Ever since her parents died and mine decided I wasn't worth the damn effort (Or at least, Dad did, while Mom went and 'died', too), we met just a few days later, and found solace in each others company. Sure, we were getting by on welfare checks physically, but we relied on each other for mental and emotional support. It didn't stop her from falling into depression, whereas I was already there, but I did my best not to burden her too much and tried to deal with it by putting up a stupid front, and I could tell she hid it under that cheery side so I wouldn't worry, though there were rare moments where it slipped through. As long as we had each other, it was like all our problems just… didn't exist at all. Our presence was a sort of catharsis for us. If she were to suddenly die one of these days, I… would rather not think about what I would do. After all, why waste energy speculating something that probably won't happen for a while, when I could be wasting it on other useless things? I guess I agreed so she would have one less thing to worry about - even if she did kindof exaggerate it out of proportion.

"C'mon, we don't wanna be late~!" Sayori said, running ahead. I grinned and ran after her.

"You're not really one to talk, Ri!"

"Hey!"

* * *

School went by the same way it normally did. Slow, boring, and dealt with by sleeping in class. Finally, the end comes. I pack my things and chill in the room for a bit. I don't really have any motivation for clubs, but I did promise Sayori that I'd make a serious attempt, soooo…

"Let's see, clubs… Well, I know they have an anime club…Ooh, maybe I should see if I can find a D club..."

"Hellooo?"

"Eh?" Sayori was right in front of me, waving her hand in front of my face. "Sayori?" She musta come in while I was thinking. ' _We were nodding off.'_ THINKING… I looked around and realized the two of us are the only ones in the room.

"I thought I'd catch you coming out of the classroom, but I saw you just sitting here and nodding off, so I came in. Honestly, you're even worse than me sometimes… I'm impressed!" I sighed and gave a small smile.

"You don't need to wait for me if it'll make you late to your own club, Ri." Sayori looked a little sheepish.

"Well, I thought you might need some encouragement, so I thought, you know…" My eyes narrowed.

"...Ri."

"Yes?"

"Are you suggesting I check out your club?"

"...Maaaayyyybeeee?" Her eyes slowly rolled to the left. I sighed.

"Ri…"

"Yeah?" She put on a big grin at this.

"There is no way I'm going to your club." She did her little adora-pout again.

"Eeeehhhhh?! Meanie!" Yeah, Ri's vice president of the Literature Club. Which completely threw me off guard when she joined because I had no idea she was ever interested in literature. Actually, I am… 90% sure she joined just so she could help start a new club. Since she was the second person to show interest in the club, the first being the one who proposed the club in the first place, she kinda just inherited the title "Vice President". That said, I'm pretty sure my interest in literature isn't really good enough to warrant entry to the Literature club.

"Yeeaaahh, I'm just gonna check out the anime club."

"C'mon, please?" Sayori then used her most compelling argument… the puppy eyes. She knows how much I can't stand when she pulls them out, so she pulls them out whenever she really wants something. Granted, my resistance has gotten better over the years. I was able to withstand a whole five seconds this time! Long enough for me to throw out another question that diffused the eyes.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" She had that sheepish expression again, but this time she did her little finger-finger-pokey-pokey thing.

"Well...I kinda told the club yesterday I was gonna bring in a new member… And Natsuki made cupcakes and everything… Ehehe…" I immediately facepalmed.

"Ri, you know you shouldn't make promises you can't keep." I honestly didn't know if she actually forgot, or she was cunning enough to plan this all out. I let a long sigh pass my lips and took my hand off my face. "Fine. I'll stop by for a cupcake, okay?" She immediately jumped for joy.

"Yes! Let's go~!"

* * *

And thus, I found myself selling my soul for a damn cupcake. I followed Sayori across the school in my usual fashion - hands in my pockets, slouched over - and was led upstairs - a part of the school I don't really know too well since it's typically used for third-year shit. Sayori, ever full of energy, swung open a classroom door.

"Everyone~! The new member is here~!" She practically sang out. I cringed a little.

"Ri, I told you not to call me a hellooo~ what do we have here?" I said as the occupants of the room registered. One of them stepped forward. She was a tall, beautiful girl with long, deep purple hair that seemed to flow down her body with a couple purple hair pins to keep it out of her face, amethyst-colored eyes, a light blush on her cheeks, and her uniform seemed to accentuate her… rather large assets.

"Welcome to the Literature Club." She said in a soft, mature voice. "It's a pleasure meeting you. Sayori always says nice things about you."

A second girl approached. She was short. Very short. She maybe came up to the bottom of my chest, if that. She also looked like a first-year, but that's beside the point. She had cotton candy-pink hair with red ribbons tied into it, one of them holding some of her hair in a side-ponytail, eyes that were the exact same color as her hair, and a somewhat angry expression with her hands on her hips.

"Seriously? You brought a boy?" She spoke with a stand-offish voice. "Way to kill the atmosphere." I could already tell she would be quite the handful. Then the third girl approached. Wait a minute…

"Oh shit, is that Monika?!" I said with a surprised smile.

"Victor! What a nice surprise! Welcome to the club!" Monika was a girl around my age with long, light-brown hair held up in the back by a large white ribbon into a high ponytail, had emerald-green eyes, and held herself with a confident air. She, too, had a surprised smile. I was completely stunned. This club…

... _is full of incredibly cute girls!_

"What are you looking at?" Said the short girl. "If you want to say something, say it." I grinned evilly.

"Something, say it." I repeated. She blinked for a moment.

"Wh-what?"

"Were you not the one who asked if I wanted to say something, say it?" She stumbled over her words for a moment before stomping her foot into the floor.

"I didn't mean like that, idiot!"

"Ah, but did you make that clear for a smartass?" She looked like she wanted to strangle me.

"Natsuki…" The tall girl snapped Shorty back to reality. She immediately crossed her arms.

"Hmph." Natsuki? Didn't Ri say she's the one who made cupcakes? How can someone with such a sour attitude bake something so sweet? *GASP* Unless they're _sour_ cupcakes! Sayori snuck up behind me.

"You can just ignore her when she gets moody~" She whispered into my ear before turning to the others. "Anyway! This is Natsuki, always full of energy." She gestured to the short one. "And this is Yuri, the smartest in the club!" The newly named Yuri suddenly looked incredibly shy as she started playing with some of her hair.

"D-don't say things like that…" I took note of her behavior. Yuri seemed like she'd have trouble keeping up with people like Ri and Natsuki. Maybe she needs someone to help her keep pace?

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you." I said, offering a handshake. Natsuki turned away from it with a 'hmph', but Yuri took it, albeit with some hesitation.

"And it sounds like you already know Monika, right, Vic?" Sayori chimed in.

"That's right." Monika said. "It's great to see you again, Victor." She spoke in the same confident voice I remember, accompanied by a sweet smile. We were in the same class together last year. If I remember right, Monika was probably the most popular girl in class - smart, beautiful, athletic...completely out of my league. So seeing her smile at me so sweetly…it was a little…

"You too, Monika. We'll have to catch up, sometime."

"Come sit down, Vic! We made room for you at the table, so you can sit next to me or Monika. I'll get the cupcakes-"

"Hey! I made them, I'll get them!" Natsuki yelled. Sayori looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry, I got a little too excited~"

"Then, how about I make some tea as well?" Yuri offered as she went to do just that, while Natsuki left to get the cupcakes. Me, Sayori, and Monika, having nothing to get, went and sat down. There were a few desks that the girls arranged to form a table. It looked like it'd been widened so that there's two more seats, one next to Sayori, one next to Monika. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Natsuki grab a wrapped tray, while Yuri opened the closet. I may have been decent friends with Monika, but I felt more comfortable next to Ri, so I sat down next to her. Natsuki proudly marched back to the table, tray in hand.

"Okaaay, are you ready?" She reached for the corner of the foil. "...Ta-daa!" She said as she pulled the cover back.

"Uwooooah!" Sayori exclaimed, while Monika and I looked on in shock. The tray had a dozen white, fluffy cupcakes decorated to look like little cats. The whiskers are drawn with icing, and little pieces of chocolate were used to make the ears. "So cuuuute~!"

"I had no idea you were so good at baking, Natsuki!" Monika said.

"Ehehe. Well, you know. Just hurry up and take one, already!" Sayori hastily grabs one, then Monika. I take up the rear.

"Ifs delifous!" Sayori cheered with her mouth full and icing on her face.

"Empty your mouth, Ri." I off-handedly told her. She blushed and did as she was told.

"Ehehe…" I turn my attention back to my cupcake, looking for the best angle of attack. I then realized Natsuki has been awfully quiet. I peek over to see her sneaking glances over at me. Is she waiting for me to take a bite? I decide to bite the head off. My eyes widened at the sweet explosion in my mouth. The icing was sweet and full of flavor - I idly wonder if she made it herself.

"This is really fuckin' good." I shoot Natsuki a smile. "Thanks, Natsuki." She crossed her arms and had a little angry look that didn't really seem genuine.

"W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like I…!" I feel like I've heard this kind of thing before. "...Made them for you or anything." Oh my god we've got a tsundere, complete with the flat chest.

"...Except you _kinda_ did. Didn't Ri say-" She stomped again as her arms shot to the sides while she looked to the side, trying to look furious and failing. She looked pretty cute like that.

"Well, maybe! But not for, y-you know, _you!_ Baka…" I let out a little laugh.

"Alright, alright…" I decided to drop the conversation. Yuri took the opportunity to return, carrying a tea set. She carefully placed a teacup in front of each of us before setting the teapot next to the cupcake tray. I looked at Yuri in surprise.

"You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?" Yuri smiled.

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?" I thought about that for a moment.

"Huh…you got a point there…"

"Eheheh," Monika chimed in. "Don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuri's just trying to impress you." I watched with an amused stare as Yuri got all flustered.

"Eh?! T-That's not…" Yuri looked away to hide the growing blush on her face. "I meant that, you know…"

"I believe you." I assured. "Well, I may not do a lot of tea and reading, but at the very least I enjoy tea." Yuri had a faint smile in relief.

"I'm glad…" Monika raised an eyebrow, then smiled at me.

"So, what made you consider the Literature Club?"

"Um…" I slowly turned towards Sayori. She followed my gaze and giggled.

"Sayori dragged you here?"

"Yup." Her giggle turned into a laugh.

"She's quite the little bundle of energy and happiness, isn't she?" She asked. I gave a knowing smirk.

"So she'd have you think. In her own fucked up defense, though, I haven't joined any clubs yet, and she seems really happy here, so I figured..."

"That's okay! I can understand! We'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!" I stared at her for a moment before smiling.

"Monika, I'm surprised. Why'd you decide to start your own club? You could probably be a board member for any of the major clubs. Hell, weren't you a leader of the debate club last year?" Monika smiled and looked off to the side a little.

"Ahaha, well, you know…To be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events…I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!" Sayori came up and put an arm around Monika.

"Monika really is a great leader!" Yuri nodded in agreement. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Then I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet. Must be hard to start a new club." I said with a newfound respect for Monika. Hell, I know I wouldn't have the energy or motivation to do that, nor could I be brought to care enough to do so.

"You could put it that way. Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new…" Di...Did she just read my mind? "Especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people that you're both fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the upcoming festival, that much more important." She put her hand on her hip with a confident smile. "I'm confident that we can all really grow this club before we graduate! Right, everyone?"

"YEAH!" Sayori cheered.

"We'll do our best." Yuri said.

"You know it!" Natsuki said with a confident smirk.

I let out a soft smile. Such different girls, all interested in the same goal… Monika must have worked really hard just to find these three. Maybe that's why they were all so delighted by the idea of a new member. Well… most of them, anyway. Jury's still out on Natsuki. Though I'm still pretty sure I won't be able to keep up with their level of enthusiasm about literature…

"So, Victor, what kinds of things do you like to read?" Yuri spoke up.

I thought for a moment. "Well, I typically enjoy Manga and Fanfiction," I noticed Natsuki perk up at that. "But I also tend to lean towards Epic Fantasy and Mythic Fantasy-type novels." Natsuki looked like she wanted to say something, but kept quiet about it. Yuri smiled.

"Well, at least you seem to have some interest in reading…" She said with a hint of relief, but also with a little bit of sadness.

"Well...I could always work on that…" Why do I do saying things? I spoke without thinking when I saw her sadness. "Anyway, what about you, Yuri?"

"Well, let's see…" She thought for a moment as she traced the rim of her tea cup with her finger. "My favorites are a lot like yours, usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign world is equally impressive." Yuri continued to go on, clearly passionate about her reading. It was kinda funny to me. She seemed so reserved and timid ever since I walked in, but it's obvious from the way her eyes light up that she finds more comfort in books than she does in people. "But you know, I like a lot of things. Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you for a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately…"

"Like The Shining by Stephen King?" I ask, trying to relate to her last point, trying to prevent her from having a conversation with what might as well have been a rock.

"Yes, things like that!" Yuri said, a little excitedly.

"Really? I wouldn't have expected that, Yuri." Monika jumped in. "For someone as gentle as you…"

"I guess you could say that. But if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a moment."

"Ugh, I hate horror…" Natsuki groaned.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well, I just…" Natsuki's eyes dart over to me for a split second. "Never mind."

"That's right, you usually like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika questioned. Natsuki looked shocked.

"W-What? What gives you that idea?"

"Oh, you left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting. It looked like you were working on a poem called-"

"DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!" Natsuki screeched. "And give that back!"

"Fine, fine~" Monika said with a teasing smile.

"Ehehe, your cupcakes, your poems…" Sayori chirped. "Everything you do is just as cute as you are~" She sidled up behind Natsuki and put her hands on her shoulders.

" _I'm not cute!_ " Natsuki screamed.

"Hold up, you write poetry, Natsuki?" I was legitimately surprised. She didn't exactly strike me as the poetic type.

"Eh? Well, I guess sometimes. Why do you care?" I imitated that 'Not Bad' meme.

"I think that's impressive. I think you should share them with everyone sometime."

"N-no!" She said, crossing her arms once more and averting her eyes. Seems someone's touchy about her work. "You wouldn't..like them…" Wow, forget touchy, she's straight-up insecure.

"HEY!" I shouted, gathering everyone's attention. "From now on, there is to be no being insecure about your work from any of you."

"Ummm...Why?" Yuri awkwardly asked.

"BECAUSE!" I paused for effect. "That is my job." I said, jabbing my chest with my thumb with each word while holding the silliest straight face I could imagine. Sayori started bursting out laughing, quickly followed by Monika. Yuri started giggling, then laughing as well. Natsuki looked like she wanted to laugh, but did a good job not doing so. Finally I couldn't hold it anymore, and joined in. We quickly settled down. Then Yuri looked down.

"Though...I understand how Natsuki feels...Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Sounds like someone has writing experience. Maybe you should share, too. Might help Natsuki share, too." Yuri suddenly got really nervous.

"..."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Sayori looked really sad at Natsuki and Yuri's adamance on not sharing.

"Aww… I wanted to read everyone's poems…" My eyes widened as I sharply inhaled. Nobody, I mean NOBODY, makes Sayori sad on my watch. I slam my palms on the desk, startling everyone.

"That's it, tomorrow, poems, everyone, no exceptions." I commanded. Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri stared at me for a moment while Monika put a hand on her chin in thought.

"You know…That's actually not a bad idea." Natsuki and Yuri looked quizzically at Monika. "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

"U-um…" Natsuki stuttered.

"..." Yuri looked down nervously.

"Yeaaah! Let's do it!" Sayori cheered with her fist in the air.

"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other, and strengthen the bond of the club. Isn't that right, Victor?" Monika smiled warmly at me again as we all started gathering our stuff.

"Wait, hold on." Natsuki pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Victor never said he would join our club!" Sayori, Yuri, and Monika realized this, and began looking at me with sad eyes.

"Well I mean, yeah, I'll join." Everyone looked happy once more. "One, I hate seeing Ri sad, two, I feel like I've had a pretty warm reception, and three, I'm already here, might as well since I'm too lazy to look for any others."

"Yesss! I'm so happyyy~" Sayori cheered, tackling me to the ground in a big hug.

"You really scared me for a moment…" Yuri said with a relieved smile.

"Good. If you had only come for the cupcakes, I would have been super pissed." Natsuki said in typical Natsuki fashion.

"Natsuki, you're too cute to pull off the angry look." I casually told her. She spluttered for a moment before stomping the ground again.

" _I'm not cute!"_

"Well, that makes it official!" Monika said as Sayori finally got off me. "Welcome to the Literature Club!" She said, holding her hand for a handshake. I took her hand.

"It's good to be a part of it." I said with a smirk. We let go and Monika addressed everyone.

"Okay, everyone! I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone remember tonight's assignment: Write a poem to bring to the next meeting, so we can all share!" She looked at me once more. "Victor, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself." My eyes widened as I realized that I had never written a poem in my life.

"Shit. Welp, guess I am too." I said, rolling with the flow. She smiled.

"Ehehe~"

Yeah…pretty sure I won't be impressing anyone anytime soon, given my awful writing skills. God damn it, what did I get myself into. Meanwhile, the girls continue to chat as Yuri and Natsuki cleaned up their food. Sayori walked up to me.

"Hey, Vic, since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?" I thought as the realization hit me - We hadn't really walked home together in forever since she always stayed after for clubs. I smiled.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Yaay~"

* * *

The two of us departed the clubroom and made our way home. The whole way, my mind wanders between the four different girls. Ri, Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika. I wasn't sure if I would truly be happy spending even more time at school in a literature club, but one thing was sure, at least I'd make a few friends along the way. And who knows? I might get a girlfriend out of it. Hell, play my cards right, and I may end up the luckiest man alive. I just hope fortune favors me. I just need to write a poem tonight… God damn it.

* * *

 **Hey guys, hope you enjoyed. Now, you may notice that I may have deviated from the script just a little bit... There is a reason for that. I guarantee that this take on DDLC won't be what any of you expect. Anyway, gonna sign off here. Merry (late) Christmas, and Happy Holidays!**

 **Yeah, I suck at Authors notes. Sue me.**


	2. Ch2: Warning

**Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of [FILE CORRUPTED]! But first, I have a review I need to answer, because for some reason, the site won't let me respond from my inbox or the reviews section.**

 **Rando: Can you read my mind? In all seriousness, I find it a little ironic you posted that as I was writing an original chapter. I hope you enjoy it! As for your other points, I can understand your point, Victor isn't the MC, so he shouldn't have all the same thoughts and dialogue the MC does, plus he'd have a different affect on the others. I hadn't really taken that into consideration, so I thank you for bringing that up. The story will take a similar direction as the original DDLC, however, I will say now that Act 3 is where everything will be revealed, but that won't be for a while.** **I'm glad you've taken an interest in Victor! You'll see the source of his illness in this chapter, as well as a weak version of his symptoms. The stronger versions won't really be seen until Act 2. That's really all I have to say here. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you keep following the story!**

 **And with that, I still don't own DDLC, but y'all don't really give a shit about that, I'm sure. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 2: Warning

The time came for me and Ri to separate.

"Well, that was a hell of a day, eh, Ri?" I said. Sayori gave off a big happy grin.

"I know, right? I can't believe you're finally a part of a club! My club, no less! I'm so proud of you! Oooh~ I can't wait to spend more time with you!" She said as she was jumping around in joy. I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, we better get started on our poems. Gotta get that shit done if I wanna stay in. Cool if I come over later? We'll compare poems." I asked. She smiled.

"Of course! See you later!" She said. We shared a brief hug before returning to our empty houses. I walked in to an empty living room, with a couch and a 40" TV on a stand.

 _"M-Mommy? W-Wait, please, no, please, I can fix it, I can fix it, I pro-AGH!"_

I shook my head and made my way to my room, quickly shedding that damn uniform in the process, grabbing more comfortable clothes in the process, specifically a black tee, black five elevens, and a pair of socks. Underwear too, of course. I walk into the bathroom, set my clothes down, make sure I have a towel, and turn the shower on. As I wait for the water to warm up, I look in the mirror. A young man looks back. He has long black hair with bangs that somewhat cover his black eyes. His semi-muscular torso is peppered with old scars, with one in particular running from his right pectoral to his left hip. His eyes traced each and every one of them.

 _The world flickered, and I was standing in a dimly lit bathroom. Cracks ran around the walls, with the occasional blood stain. The shower was falling apart, large parts of the tile scattered across the ground. Too many pill bottles to count littered the cabinet and sink. A young boy looked back at me through a cracked mirror, the scars fresh, and bleeding heavily._

The world flickered once more, and everything returned to the way it was. The scars were faint again, the bathroom was cleaned and repaired, the sink was clear with the exception of soap and a washcloth. I closed my eyes and exhaled. Deciding I had waited long enough, I closed the door, turning the lock knob. I turned around and _the world flickered again as I was in that shitty room again, staring down at the same boy, shivering, shaking, and sobbing under the shower water as it washed the fresh blood from his pale, malnourished body and black hair._

I frowned as I stepped in the shower, through where the boy was, forcing the world to return to normal as the water matted my hair down. I stared down at the drain, watching the water flow down into it.

 _"Do you get it yet, you damn brat?! Good people are weak! Good people get crushed to death in this world! Only the strong and ruthless survive! For god's sake, get up and fight back! Try to take this knife if you value living!"_

My breathing started speeding up as I washed my hair, my eyes closed as those horrible memories returned, as they always do.

 _"Have you stopped crying, you little shit? I've had enough of your noise."_

My hands started shaking as I started pouring a second handful of soap, spilling some onto the floor and hastily washing my body, my breath quickening.

 _"That isn't my name…"_

I slammed the water off once I was done, the water dripping off my body for a few seconds.

 _"The FUCK did you just say to me, you little BASTARD?!"_

I stepped out of the shower, my feet slapping against the floor as I grabbed my towel and started drying off.

 _"You. Heard. Me."_

I pulled the towel away from my face as the world flickered back to that run-down bathroom, a woman standing in the doorway. She had long midnight hair, but the rest of her was obscured by shadows.

 _"Your name is whatever I say it is, you got that, you damn bas-...Wait, what are you doing with my knife? How did you-?"_

The world flickered back to normal as I reached for my clothes. I put my underwear on, followed by my pants.

 _"You put that down right now, you hear me, ya shit?! That's not for you!"_

 _"That is not my name…Do you even know it?"_

 _"S-Stop! Don't look at your mother like that! I command you to stop!"_

 _"You don't even know my name...You don't even know who I am, do you…"_

 _"Victor…! Your name is Victor! There! I said it! Now please, j-just hand over the knife, a-and we can…"_

I threw my shirt and socks on, fully clothed once more. I moved over to the mirror.

 _"...Hehehehe…"_

I looked at my reflection, noticing my irises and pupils had shrunk to the size of actual pin-points.

 _"How disappointing of you, Mother. If you were truly strong, it wouldn't really matter what my name is, would it, now?"_

 _"W-What the hell are you talking about…? S-...Stop it…Stop looking at me like that… P-Please stop…Why are you smiling at me like that…?_

 _ **"Victor, d-don't you love your mommy…?"**_

I slammed my fist into the mirror as the scream echoed through my mind, badly cutting my hand and sending shards everywhere. I didn't care. I looked down with my eyes clenched shut, breathing hard as I tried desperately to suppress that all-encompassing killing urge.

"It's all over with, it's all over with, it's all over with, they're all dead, no one else needs to die…" I frantically whispered to myself over and over. After several minutes, I felt the urge pass, and I looked back in the broken mirror. I was relieved to see my eyes had returned to normal. "Hehehe…Damn it, now I need to get another mirror." I joked and cracked a small smile. I looked at my hand to check the damage. I reached into the cabinet to grab tweezers and bandage wrap. Steadily, and unflinchingly, I yanked each shard out and wrapped my hand up tight once I was done. Sighing, I headed to my room after sweeping up the shards and grabbed my notebook and a pencil from my backpack and brought them to the kitchen, thinking for a moment about what to have for dinner. I snapped my fingers and grabbed noodles and spaghetti sauce from the pantry, set them on the counter and opened the fridge.

 _The world flickered, and this time I was in an old classroom. The teacher was standing over the same small boy, his pants torn open, while her tits and pussy were exposed to the world._

I shook my head to clear my vision, and I frowned when I saw I didn't have any meat thawed. Guess I'd have to get creative.

 _"Don't you understand yet, little children? You all belong to me. I can do whatever I please and you can't do a thing about it."_

I took a pound of beef that was still in the package out of the freezer, went outside, and _the world flickered back to that classroom. The teacher was now walking to a group of small boys cowering in the corner. The small boy got up and slipped that same knife out of his sleeve._

I shook my head again and threw the meat onto the concrete hard enough to break the frozen meat apart.

 _"Oh? Do you want so-... wait, where did you get that knife?!"_

 _"...Hehehehe…"_

 _"W-What are you doing? Stay back!"_

 _"Isn't it funny? All that power you had? It goes away as soon as someone pulls a knife. I think it's quite fascinating."_

 _"N-No, please, little children, you'll help me, right?"_

Walking back inside, I pulled out a large bowl and emptied the pieces of meat in there. I put the bowl in the microwave and set it to five minutes to help it thaw, followed by setting the oven high enough to cook and letting it preheat.

 _"I wonder how you'll scream…?"_

 _"No, n-no please, I-AAAAAUUUUUUGGHH!"_

 _"What's going on in here?"_

 _" Principal Tanaka!"_

 _"...Hahahaha...Hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHA!"_

 _"Wh- YOUNG MAN! Put that knife down right- AUGH!"_

In the meantime, I washed my hands and got out the salt, pepper, ground garlic, and fresh basil. I took out a pot, filled it with water, put in some olive oil, and let that boil. I took out a saucepan, emptied the can of sauce, and let that heat up as well.

 _"V-Victor…?"_

 _"Don't worry, everyone…The bad people are gone…"_

 ** _"And you're all next."_**

I paused for a moment and started taking deep breaths, hands twitching, trying to calm down again. After I brought the water to a boil, I dumped the noodles in and started to think about what to write for my poem, holding the pen in my right hand and making sure to occasionally stir the noodles and sauce with my left. I could feel my eyes shrinking once more as that killing urge came back. I got a couple lines down before I decided to get the meat back out. Since the meat was now thawed and in a malleable state, I started shaping them into a bunch of little balls, adding the spices as I did so. Once I did all that, I set them on a tray and put them in the oven.

About 15 minutes later, everything was ready. I reached into the cabinet and pulled out two tupperware containers with their respective lids. First I filled them with noodles, then added the meatballs, then spread the sauce over them. Throwing on a tattered grey zip-up hoodie, I grabbed the containers and my notebook, pausing as I had my hand on the door knob. As if it were an afterthought, I grab a knife and slip it into a hidden slit in my hoodie sleeve, and headed over to Sayori's house, my hair covering my eyes in shadows. Raising a foot, I lightly kicked her door and waited for her to answer.

"Coming!" A few seconds later, Sayori opened the door. She had changed into a bright green sweater and white pajama shorts with pink dots. "Victor! Ooh~ I see you brought dinner, too! Come on in!"

 _The world flickered, and the boy was walking through a forest, hair casting shadows over his eyes and shuffling about like he had no purpose._

I gave a genuine smile as I walked in.

 _"...*sniff**sob*..."_

 _He paused, looking around._

 _"Hello? Is anyone there?"_

"Yeah. I know how hungry you get, so I made enough for both of us, and then some."

"Yaaay~" She squealed in joy. She loved it whenever I cooked for us. She then paused.

"Victor, what happened to your hand?" I looked down at my wrapped-up hand.

"It's nothing. Just had a little slip." She looked at me as if unsure whether to believe me or not, but hesitantly decided to let me have it.

 _The boy walked around a tree and saw a small girl. She had long, pinkish-orange hair with a tattered little white bow placed to the side. She wore a blue long-sleeved tee-shirt with a pink skirt. She sat huddled up with her face buried in her knees._

 _"...Mommy *sniff*, Daddy...please *hiccup* please...come back…*sob*..."_

 _"Hey, are you okay?" He said, dropping his knife and approaching the girl. She looked up at the boy. She had bloodshot, bright blue eyes that were rapidly shedding tears. Snot was trailing a little bit out of her nose. She tilted her head in curiosity._

 _"Who are you?"_

"Soooo~ did you write your poem?" Sayori asked as she leaned over my shoulder while we walked to her dining room.

"Eh, just a little bit. Not too much yet." I told her honestly.

"Yeah? Well I already finished!" She said with a grin as she put her hands on her hips. I shot her a deadpan stare.

"You haven't even started, have you." She immediately deflated.

"Nope." We looked at each other for a moment before we started laughing.

 _"My name's Victor. What's yours?"_

 _"*sniff* S-Sayori…"_

 _"Sayori? Heh...That's a pretty name." The boy kneeled next to the girl. "Why are you crying?"_

 _"My Mommy and Daddy…they…they were in an accident... *sniff*and now the other kids at school…they…"_

 _"Where are you, Sayori~?" The girl's eyes widened._

 _"Hide me!" The girl desperately clenched onto the boy's jacket._

"C'mon Ri. Let's get started." I said as I set the food and my notebook down.

"Okay." Sayori said as she ran to get her notebook.

 _Several older boys and girls came into sight, each carrying a blunt instrument of some sort. Pipes, bats, ect._

 _"Hey guys, look, it's the parentless fuck!"_

 _"Aww, isn't that sweet? She's got a boyfriend, now!"_

 _"Move aside, boy, or you're gonna get hurt, too." The boy's hair covered his eyes in shadow once more. In that moment, he made a decision._

 _"Sayori…" The girl looked up at him. "Close your eyes, okay? Don't open them until I say so." The girl nodded and did so. The boy picked up his knife and turned to the group._

 _"Aww, isn't that adorable? The little boy wants to protect his girlfriend."_

 _"You've made a big mistake, kid." One of the boys walked forward, getting ready to swing._

 _The boy ducked the swing and ran his knife into the older boy's chest. The older boy's eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground._

My body tensed up as that moment flashed through my mind, my hands twitching violently.

"Alright, Vic! You ready for a super fun poem writing ses-" Sayori stopped upon seeing my current state.

 _"W-What the hell are you…?" Most of the older kids lay dead around them. Only one of the girls remained as she desperately crawled away._

 _"...Hehehehe...Do you really want to know?" The boy raised his knife for the kill._

 _"No, no, please, have mercy!"_

 _"Oh? You would ask for mercy, when you yourself were about to kill a frightened, innocent little girl? Tell me, why should I show mercy?"_

 _"I...I…"_

 _"That's what I thought."_

 _Before the boy could bring his knife down, he felt a pair of small arms wrap themselves around him._

 _"STOP!"_

 _"Wha-? Hey, what are you doing?!"_

 _"Please…*sniff* Please don't do this, I don't want to see anymore…"_

 _"But she was going to kill you!"_

 _"I know…but if you kill her, you'll be no better than them…" The boy hesitated._

 _"Please…I don't want to see you be like them…" The boy's eyes started shifting between a normal appearance and a shrunken appearance. He clenched his eyes shut._

 _"Ragh!"_

 _The older girl flinched, before she realized she wasn't dead. She looked to the side to see the knife buried halfway into the ground not even an inch from her head._

 _"Go. Get away from me. And if you tell anyone what happened here, I will hunt you down and finish the job." The older girl frantically nodded before scrambling to her feet and sprinting out of there._

I felt Sayori wrap her arms around me.

"Those memories again?" She said solemnly. I nodded. "Don't worry, I'm right here. We're safe. No one's trying to hurt us. You don't have to protect me." I smiled as I felt myself relax. I turned around and returned the hug.

 _"Thank you…"_

 _"I told you to close your eyes."_

 _"I know…But when the screaming started, I just…I…*sniff*" The boy's eyes softened. He turned around in her grip and started hugging her._

 _"I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to see it." The boy said. The girl looked up at him._

 _"Why are you sorry? You saved me." She gave a soft smile. "You're a hero." The boy's eyes widened before half-closing in sadness._

 _"No…I'm not…A real hero would have found a way to stop them without killing." The girl thought for a moment._

 _"Maybe…But they would have killed us if you didn't, right? It was only self-defense." The girl reasoned. "You're my hero." The two of them heard a growling sound._

 _"Ehehe…" The girl nervously laughed with an embarrassed blush. The boy shook his head._

 _"You're silly, y'know?" The girl just nervously poked her fingers together. "C'mon. I'll take you back to my house and I'll see if I have something."_

"I know, Ri. It just…catches up sometimes, you know?" Sayori smiled into my shoulder.

 _The boy and the girl emerged from the tree line and began wandering through the city._

 _"Hey, Victor..."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"What were you doing in those woods, anyway?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Victor?"_

 _"I was…going to kill my mother's murderer." The girl gasped._

 _"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I-"_

 _"S'okay. I probably would have died in the attempt." The two walked in silence for a while._

 _"...Heh…"_

 _"Hmm? What's so funny?"_

 _"Nothing, it's just…in a way, I saved your life too, huh?"_

 _"Huh...hehehehe...hahahahaha!" The boy laughed. Not a psychotic laugh like before, but a real, genuine laugh. "I guess you're my hero too, huh?" The girl giggled._

 _"I guess so!" The girl looked around, eyes widening in recognition. "Wait a minute...I know where we are!"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Yeah! My house isn't too far from here!"_

 _"Really?! Mine too!" The two started running down the street, taking the same turns, until they wound up in front of the girl's house. It was a small two-floor building in relatively good condition._

 _"This is it! This is my house!"_

 _"Really?! That's mine, right there!" The boy pointed to a two-story house in poor condition three houses down and across the street._

 _"That's so cool! We get to see each other whenever we want!" The boy went stiff, then looked down in sadness._

 _"Er, Sayori…" The girl looked at the boy._

 _"Huh? What's wrong?"_

 _"...It's nothing. Nevermind."_

"Hey, Ri."

"Yeah?"

"I...I hope you know how much I appreciate this. How much I appreciate you." I didn't see the sadness that passed through her eyes.

"Victor…"

"You remember our promise, right?"

 _"Well, actually, it is one thing._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Do you...Do you think we could meet up, like, everyday?"_

 _"Of course! Why would you have to ask?"_

Sayori smiled. "Yeah, of course I do."

 _"It's just that...I was in a...really bad place these past few days. But being with you, it...helped me forget that."_

 _"...Heh...it's funny...you kinda did the same for me. You helped make my life better."_

 _"...You know what? Since we make each other feel better, let's make a promise." The boy held up a pinky._

 ** _"Even if we don't need each other, we'll always be there."_**

 _The girl wrapped her pinky around his and smiled. "Of course."_

"Good." I muttered. "Just...never forget that, will ya?" Sayori gave me one last squeeze before stepping back, looking at me with a smile.

"Feeling better?" I let out a breath and smile.

"Much." I frowned. "And I was doing so good, too."

"I know, it's been what, seven months since your last episode? I'm so proud of you, I think you're almost better." Ri flashed me a bittersweet smile. I thought about the last time it had happened. I had actually gotten so bad that time that I had wandered back into those woods and gone hunting.

During that time, I had brutally beaten four armed hunters and killed most of the wildlife in the forest before she found me.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. C'mon, dinner's not getting any warmer." I said as I went to grab a couple forks.

"Fi~nally! I'm starving." She said as she took her seat. Grabbing her fork, she opened her food and began absolutely destroying her food. I'm talking almost gone in less than a minute.

"Mph~ Sho goodf~" She moaned, wearing a look of pure bliss. I merely smiled. I really hated relying on her like this. She deserved better. I couldn't even bring myself to tell her everything. Yeah, it's been 8 years and she still didn't know the truth about my mother's death...or the New Park Elementary Massacre. I looked at her from the corner of my eye.

"Don't orgasm on me now." Sayori immediately froze with a heavy blush. I merely stared. "You didn't!"

"Wha- NO!"

"DAMN IT! Ow." I slammed my hands onto the table. I pointed at her with my fork with squinted eyes. "One of these days, Ri. One of these days…" I said ominously. She laughed at my shenanigans.

"Oh please, your cooking's nowhere near that good, Vic."

"Oh, that's it, c'mere!" A big grin stretched across my face as I jumped out of my seat and ran towards her. Fortunately for her, she was fast enough to get out of her seat and avoid my grab as she started running away, laughing all the while.

"You'll never catch me~!" She taunted as I gave chase through the house. Soon enough I cornered her in her room. It was a quaint little messy room with laundry and papers and trash scattered all over the floor and her shelves and her computer desk and ugh, it was just everywhere. Her bed sheets were a wrinkled mess and it wasn't even attempted to be made. She had a couple plants in her room, as well as two large dolls. One was a bird that she had while her parents were alive, while the other was a large cow that I…'appropriated' and gave to her three years after we met. Of course, she didn't need to know that. I tackled her onto the bed into a rather compromising position and pinned her arms above her head.

"I've got you trapped now, Ri!" I laughed.

"Oh no, the bag man's got me~! Whatever shall I do~" She played.

"Well first I think I- wait, 'bag man'?" I realized her slip of the tongue.

"Well I like, tried to say 'bad' and 'big' at the same time and it came out 'bag'." She said sheepishly. I raised my eyebrow before shaking my head sadly while laughing.

"Well, anyway, what were we doing?" I feigned confusion. Sayori suddenly looked hopeful.

"You were going to let me go?" I pretended like I suddenly remembered.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" I looked at Ri with a devious grin. "I was going to get exactly. What. I. _Want_." I said, my voice getting huskier and huskier as I gently traced my hand down her side, bringing it to her knee and tracing up her thigh. I saw her eyes half-close as her breath hitched, our faces getting closer. Her eyes fully closed when our lips were less than an inch apart. I slowly slipped my hand under her shirt…

And began to mercilessly tickle her.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU TEASE!"

"Well, you brought it on yourself, ya ballsy bitch."

"HAHAHA PLEASE HAHAHAHA STOP HAHAHAHA!"

"Will you take back that jab at my cooking?"

"YES HAHAHA I TAKE IT BACK JUST PLEASE STOP HAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T BREATHE HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Well~...alright." I said as I got off of her. She slowly got up as she panted for breath. She shot me playful glare.

"I hate you."

"Shut up, bitch, you love me."

"Yeah I do." She muttered, not low enough to escape my hearing, but low enough to escape my understanding.

"What?"

"What? Ummheywehavepoemstowritelet'sgo!" Ri blurted out with a blush before darting out of the room faster than I could keep up with. I walked out after a moment and wandered back downstairs to the table, trying to recall what she said.

"Ri?"

"Hey~ Vic! You know, we should _really_ get to work on our poems." She said, wearing a nervous expression with a blush.

"But what did you-"

"POEMS!" She screamed, standing up and slamming her hands on the table.

"Bu-"

"NOPE! POEMS!"

"Bu-" In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of me, hands clapped on either side of my face.

"PO. EMS." I gave her a 'what the fuck are you up to?' look.

"O-Okay. Wh-Whatever you say, Ri." I decided to let her have this one.

"Good!" She gave one of those smiles where she closes her eyes and tilts her head. You know the ones I'm talking about? Anyway, another blink and she's back in her seat. I slowly and hesitantly take my seat. Taking up my pen in my right hand, I resume eating with my left. After remembering what I was writing about, I got a good way through my poem before I heard a groan.

"Uuuugh, this is so hard!" Sayori whined. I shot her a teasing grin.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to work on poems?" She slouched over to the point that her head was laying on her paper.

"Yeah…" I smirked and returned to my poem, almost getting done before I heard light snoring.

"Ri." No response. "Ri." Still nothing. "Ri!" I raised my voice a little bit. She stirred a little a bit, but still kept sleeping. I sighed and got up, walking over and bending over so that I was next to her ear.

"Dessert is ready~" I whispered. The results were immediate. Her eyes shot open and she shot straight up.

"Dessert?!" She looked around wildly until she saw my grinning face, barely able to contain my laughter. She pouted.

"Meanie…" She made a tiny house with a tiny roof with her tiny hands as I laughed (Game Grumps, anyone?).

"Tell you what, since you know I suck at making desserts, if you finish your poem tonight, I'll see if I can convince Natsuki to make everyone some sweets at the meeting after next." Sayori gave me a confused look.

"Natsuki? What makes you think she'll listen to you? She acted kinda hostile today."

"Are you kidding me? She was totally checking me out the whole time! She just kept shooting me glances every chance she got!"

"Wait, really?!"

"Yeah! When I had her cupcake, she kept looking at me like 'Oh my god, I hope he really likes it, it would totally make my day'." I said in my best Natsuki impression, which got a laugh out of Sayori. "I'm telling you, I could probably pull it off!"

"Wait, so you're just going to play with my friend's emotions to get what you want?!" Her offended expression turned into one of conspiracy. "I like that plan."

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Natsuki was sitting in her room, playing UMvC3 on a small, easy to hide TV, when she sneezed.

* * *

"But you gotta finish your poem tonight, or no cupcakes or whatever the fuck she wants to bring." She shot me a salute.

"Yessir!" She immediately put on the cutest concentration face I ever saw. I took out my phone and snapped a picture. "Wha-Hey!"

"What? You looked cute." I said, turning back to my poem, completely ignoring her immense blush. However, I also didn't see the sadness on her face immediately afterwards. Finishing up my poem, I looked over it one more time. With an affirmative nod, I fold it up and slip it into my notebook. "Welp, I'll be right back." I said, making my way to the bathroom. About ten minutes later, I walk back to see her fast asleep. "Ri…Either you really haven't been getting much sleep, or… your depression is getting worse." I smiled sadly. "For both our sakes, I pray it's the former." I walked up to her and gently picked her up, bridal-style. Bringing her back to her room, I laid her down and tucked her in. Looking around, I shook my head and started cleaning the place. "Jeez, Ri, you gotta start taking better care of yourself. I can't be here 24/7, s'much as I wish I could." I mutter to myself. I grab a laundry basket and start up her washer to get her laundry started, then I gather all of her trash to take it out. However, something strange happened after I threw it away.

"Welp, that's that." I said, wiping my hands.

"Why do you do this?" I heard a feminine-sounding voice echo around me, but something was...off about it.

"Hmm? Do what?" I said, playing it totally cool.

"All this. Taking care of a silly little girl who can't even be honest with the one she trusts most. Surely it gets incredibly taxing after doing it for so long. Would it not be better if you just left her to her fate?" I laughed lightly.

"Well, lady, I don't expect you to understand if you don't already, but this is what real friends do for each other. We watch each other's backs when we can't watch ourselves. And I swore I would always have hers." I said with a small grin. I heard a scoff.

"Hmph. Is she truly a 'real friend', as you put it, when she can't even bring herself to ask you for help? I warn you now, letting her go will only save you from the pain."

"Not having her will bring others pain, what's your point? And why should I believe you? After all…" In a single fluid motion, I slipped the knife out of my sleeve into my waiting hand and pointed it at… "You still haven't even introduced yourself."

The figure in front of me was beyond strange. She looked like a girl my age with _long_ black hair wearing a black skintight bodysuit, three guesses as to why and two of them don't count, as well as high heels, but what really set her apart was the fact that what looked like binary code seemed to be running through her entire body, even covering random parts of her body as if they were glitching there, including her right eye. Her left red eye stared back at me, her mouth curved into a smirk.

"Oh, where are my manners? Truthfully, I do not have a name. But, if you must call me something, you may call me…Fuhsani." The newly named Fuhsani introduced.

"See? Now we're getting somewhere. Well, Fuhsani, my name is-"

"Oh, I know who _you_ are, Victor Ito, as well as everything about you. Age 16, weighs 172 pounds, you are five feet seven inches tall, best friend of Sayori Yamamoto, your only other friends right now are Natsuki Sato, Yuri Lowenthall, and Monika Nakamura, you enjoy playing Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Super Smash Bros 4, becoming the national champion of the Smash Bros tournament and international champion of the UMvC3 tournament just last year. Your favorite anime is Gurren Lagaan. Your favorite food is butterscotch. Your father, Hector Ito, abandoned you when you were born. When you were a child, you were beaten every night by your mother, Tama Ito, and left broken, bruised, bloody, and near dead, while every day, you and other children were raped by your teacher, Ms. Watanabe. One day, when you were 8, you had enough and killed your mother. The next day, you killed the teacher, you killed the principal when he checked to see what was going on, you killed your classmates for just watching while you were abused, and by then you had lost control and killed the rest of the school, leaving no survivors, student or staff. Suffering from extreme depression, you wandered into the woods just a few days later to end it all when you met Sayori. After saving her from her bullies, you took her home where you made your silly promise. From then on, you have been by her side since, seeking her company whenever you have your 'episodes', which have slowly been occurring less and less frequently over the last 8 years and trying to subtly help her with her depression in return." She said.

"HAH! That's not-"

"You have a 6.5 inch penis and you are learning how to play guitar." My eyes narrowed at her. "What I do not know is _why you are here_."

"Well, isn't that life's greatest mystery?"

"No, I know why literally every single person is in this reality." Her eye narrowed as the binary seemed to glitch. "All except, of course, for you. I have seen what this world could be, should be, and you had no place in it. By all rights, you should not exist. And yet, here you stand. You have a file in the directory when it should not _be_. What is even more infuriating is that something is preventing me from accessing your file."

"File? Directory? Reality? Damn it, make sense, woman!" Fuhsani giggled.

"Oh? You were not aware? Well, do not fret, all will become clear in due time." She began stepping forward as I gripped my knife tighter. She gave me a sickly sweet smile. "Why the distrust? I only have the best intentions for you." She stepped into my arms reach and cupped the side of my face. "And I advise, dear, that you let go of Sayori, and do not get close to any of your new friends. It will save you much heartache." She planted a kiss on my cheek as my eyes fully shrunk once more. "I will be seeing you around~" She said as she just… _disappeared_. The knife shook in my hand before I slowly returned it to my sleeve.

"What the hell just happened…?" I tried to make sense of what just happened. "...Whatever. I have better things to worry about right now." I returned my focus to making sure Sayori was fine. Knowing I still had a while before her laundry was done, I headed back to my house to grab my 3DS and play Smash Bros while I wait. Had to keep my skills sharp for this year's tournament. Or I would, if my mind wasn't still jumbled from my encounter with Fuhsani and therefore fucking with my skills. I eventually gave up and decided to get Sayori's pack ready for tomorrow. After that was done, I brought her pack to her room and switched her laundry over to the dryer. Another hour, and I brought her laundry to her room and set her uniform out for tomorrow. As I turned to leave, I heard Sayori start tossing and turning in her sleep, like something was disturbing her.

"Nngh...No...please...don't go…don't...leave me..." She mumbled. I thought for a moment before shedding my jacket and shoes and crawling into bed with her, laying on top of the covers, of course. She immediately latched onto me like her life depended on it.

"Heh…I don't think either of us should be alone tonight, Ri." I said, worried about Fuhsani's words. Why did she want me to give up the best thing in my life? She seemed so certain that something would happen that would hurt me if I remained close to her. I looked at Sayori's sleeping face. How could someone so sweet and kind bring me pain? Or was Fuhsani implying that something would happen to her? Well, whatever. I'm not going to give up on Ri. Nor will I cut Natsuki, Yuri, or Monika out of my life before they've even gotten a chance to be a part of it. I'll burn this whole world down before I let something happen to them. I gently kissed Sayori's forehead.

"Goodnight, Ri."

My nightmares that night were of horrible fates befalling my friends.

* * *

 **Hey, you're still here! So this chapter was primarily here to explain Victor's illness, as well as how deep his relationship with Sayori is. That was one thing that bothered me about DDLC. You and her are _childhood friends that are also neighbors_ and yet the game barely went into that. I know that the game killed her off in the first act, but that's still a pretty long time, they could have easily expanded on that to make her death more jarring, yet the MC's relationship with Sayori still felt a little...shallow given the premise. Ah, I'm rambling right now. Anyway, don't forget to review, I take any criticism you have into consideration whenever I write. Plus, it always makes me happy to see what people think about my work, good or bad. Hope you all enjoyed, and have a Happy New Year!**


	3. Ch3: qt33c4k388

**Hey guys! Sorry I took so long on this one, life is a bitch. So is the Marine Corps, but that's another story. Anyways, I'm here now, on with the disclaimer!**

 **Disclaimer: *pats pockets* ...yep, still don't own DDLC.**

* * *

Chapter 3: qt33_c4k3_88

I groggily opened my eyes to the sunlight filtering through the window. I had a small jolt when I realized I wasn't in my room, until the memories from last night came back. I looked down to see Sayori cuddled up against me, filling me with relief at seeing her safe.

' _HA! Take that, Fushani! You were WRONG!'_ I cheered in my head. I checked my phone, my joy instantly turning to dread.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" I yelled, scrambling out of bed and waking Sayori.

"Ungh...Vic? Why are you being so loud?"

"Ri no time for that we're two hours late for school!" I practically scream, her eyes shooting open once my words registered.

"Crapbaskeeeeeeeeets!" She panicked, scrambling to get herself ready. Grabbing my shoes and jacket, I sprint out the door and all the way to my room in my house. I'd describe what it looks like, but I'm already late as is, I don't have time for that. I hastily throw my spare uniform on with the knife in the sleeve and start brushing my teeth, slipping the bandage wrap into my pocket so I can change my bandage later. Once that's done, I grab another container, fill it with leftovers, and start sprinting out the door. Sayori runs out of her house just after I do.

"Vic! Wait up!" She cries. I slow down enough for her to catch up, then match speed. I hand her the container.

"Here, have some breakfast!"

"Thanks!" She kept a tight grip on that container all the way to school. Unfortunately, third period had already started, which means the two of us were going to be in some deep shit. We also didn't have third period together, so that fuckin' sucked. Running down the hall, I slammed right into my classroom door, remaining pressed up against it until the teacher, Mr. Sasaki, opened it with a stern glare.

"Mr. Ito, how wonderful of you to join us." Mr. Sasaki said dryly. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"Er, sorry sir, I slept in this morning. It won't happen again." I said.

"Very well, I'll let it slide… If you can tell me the length of _c_ if _a_ equals 3 and _b_ equals 4." I ran a few quick calculations in my head.

"It'd be 5, right?" He nodded with a frown.

"Very well. Take your seat, Mr. Ito."

"Thank you, sir." I took my seat.

"As I was saying, class…" Yeah, fuck that shit, I ain't gonna focus, I got better things to do, like tuning the teacher out and going the fuck to sleep like I always do so I can stay up late watching anime and playing games. But something strange happened in the realm of my dreams.

* * *

I found myself floating in a sea of binary code. Then a large chunk of it flashed, and I found myself standing in the middle of the street just outside the school, but everything was empty. I looked around, and I saw someone. He was my height with tattered, baggy, and blood-stained black clothing, the outline of a knife in his sleeve. And his black hair… holy shit, I thought my hair was long, considering it reached around the middle of my shoulder blades, but god damn, his hair was _long_ , reaching the base of his spine. He looked around, before his somewhat shrunken black eyes landed on me. He slipped the knife out of his sleeve, myself doing the same.

"Who're you?" He said in my voice.

"Who're you?" I said.

"I'm asking the questions. You're in my dream."

"No, you're in my dream, and you look like the ugliest son of a bitch I've ever seen."

"You look like the physical manifestation of some loser's inner demons."

"Well, you look like some total chode's inability to confront the reality of his past actions."

"If I ever get your stinky mug in MY line of sight, I swear to jack off, I'll cock your clock off."

"Well I'm going to be the bigger man and wake up fir-" He disappeared. "-ah, damn it!" The scene shifted, and I was on the street in front of my house. The other guy was there.

"Listen, we don't cotton to freaks in these parts. Scram, weirdo!" I said.

"Sorry, but I don't poly-cotton to coping tropes, not even my own, so why don't you split."

"Looks like I already did. You're the sad figment of my twisted psyche's tragic dividend. You're the un-me, I'm the real me, you wannabe, me."

"Fucker, I was the real me when you were still in my pants. Hate to break it to ya, but I wore them first. Me, bequeathed thee, the psychopathological hand-you-downs." We started walking in a circle.

"So you're the one who stained them."

"Whoever found it, browned it."

"You'd like me to be you, wouldn't me? But it's too late, you snoze, you loze." We started walking closer.

"You sleept, you weept."

"You nappa, you get slappa."

"You slumber, a cucumber."

"You catch up on some zeds, you get out of my heads."

"You slumber...ham-"

"BURGER, I wanna do summin' else!" We walked away from each other.

"Something else, eh…?" I heard. I turned around to see the other guy rushing me, knife poised to kill. Eyes widening, I narrowly jumped to the side and got into a ready stance as he turned around.

"Hmph, so you're fast. That won't stop me, you fake." He charged at me again.

"Excuse me, mother faker? I do believe I'm the real one who's having this dream in third period math class." I parried the swing and rammed my shoulder into his abdomen. His eyes narrowed.

"Your dream? Nonono, this is MY dream in MY third period math class." My face turned to confusion.

"Wait, we're both having third period math class? …On the count of three, who's your teacher? 1, 2, 3-"

" **Mr. Sasaki!"** We both paused.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"Are you in any clubs?" He asked.

"Yeah, the literature club...wait, are you?!"

"Yeah! Who are the members in yours?!"

"Monika Nakamura is the president, then we got Vice-president Sayori Yamamoto, and then we have Yuri Lowenthall and Natsuki Sato, who now that I think about it, I think I've run into Natsuki before…" I threw out offhandedly. His face turned to confusion.

"I know who Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki are, but who the hell is Sayori?"

"She's my childhood bestie. Wait, hold on, got an idea." I paused for dramatic effect, which seemed to piss him off.

"Well, what is it?!"

"On the count of three, say your name. 1…"

"2…"

" **3! Victor Ito!"** Our eyes widened. I pointed my knife at me.

"Tell me! Why are you here?!" I smirked.

"Well you see, when a bastard and a whore meet up in a love hotel…" I jumped back as I dodged another swing. We both just stood there in silence.

"...So I can't take a joke without Ri, huh?" I said.

I scoffed. "So I grow weak if I meet some bitch." In an instant, my knife was against my throat.

"Don't you DARE talk about Ri like that!" I snarled.

"Be careful not to cut yourself." I looked down to see my knife pressed against my chest right above my heart. I smirked and stepped back. The world started distorting.

"Welp, looks like I'm waking up." I said. I shot me a glare.

"What are you talking about, I'M waking up."

"Well whatever, point is, next time, we're touching dicks." I looked at me with a deadpan stare.

"No we're not. Am I gay in that world on top of everything else?" I grinned.

"Nope, cause it wouldn't be gay, just masturbation." The last thing I saw before waking up was my face having a violent meeting with my palm.

* * *

 _*RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGG_

"God, perfect timing, everytime." I bragged to myself as I grabbed my shit and walked to my fourth period Language Arts class, bumping through the crowd of students along the way. Sitting down, I looked around to take stock of the others. It's the third day of school, so it's important to know which delinquents are bad and which ones are okay. Once everyone came in I notice a certain head of purple sit down next to me. She didn't seem to notice my presence as she pulled out a book and started to read, completely ignorant to everyone around her. I got a look at the cover, which depicted a strange-looking eye, and the book was called 'The Portrait of Markov'. I peered over her shoulder.

"What's it about?" I softly whispered, making Yuri jump violently, her shoulder smacking me right in the chin. I rubbed that chin. "Okay, ow." Yuri turned to me.

"O-Oh no, I'm so s-sorry." She said with horror in her eyes like she'd done the most horrible thing on earth while one hand covered her mouth in shock.

I waved her off. "No no, you're fine, I kinda brought that on myself." I said as I leaned closer to her again. Her cheeks grew to a noticeable shade of red.

"Okay class," The voice of our teacher, Ms. Sasaki, Mr. Sasaki's sister, cut through the basic hubbub of the class before Yuri could say anything else. "Today we start our section of lessons of poetry. I will be handing out papers with questions regarding the documentary that will be playing. This will be graded, so I expect you to pay attention." She then started handing out said papers. Within a few minutes, the lights were turned off with the overhead projector playing a documentary on Edgar Allan Poe. I turned back to Yuri to see her engrossed in her book again. This time I tapped her shoulder.

"Let's try this again, what's it about?" I said in a whisper. She turned back to me with a look of surprise.

"Y-you want to know what my book is about?"

"No, I wanna know about the documentary." Her face fell.

"O-Oh, well it's talking about one of the world's greatest poets, Edgar Allan Poe, most notably known for his tales of mystery and macabre themes and…" She paused when she saw me barely holding in laughter. "And you were just messing with me." I barely kept my laughter quiet.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" She looked sad as she started to turn back to her book. "Nono, wait, I actually want to know what your book's about." I said. She turned back to me, growing excitement in her eyes.

"Truly?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's gotta be a good read if it's got your attention. You seem like someone with good taste." Her eyes visibly brightened.

"Well, it's-" She started before we were so rudely interrupted by a tall, extremely well-built guy with blonde hair and blue eyes placing his hand on Yuri's desk. This guy was Susano Yoshida, the star quarterback for our school's football team. He's the best player on the team, so of course he thinks he's hot shit and thinks he can get whatever he wants because he's popular.

"Hey~ there, babe." He said, trying to act all smooth.

"O-oh, um, h-hello." Yuri said, clearly uncomfortable with the current situation.

"So, I'm Susano Yoshida, don't know if you've heard of me, I'm the quarterback of the football team." He moved his hand to her shoulder.

"O-Oh, th-that's nice…" She looked even more uncomfortable, but didn't make a move to stop him.

"So I was thinkin' that you and me should maybe go out sometime..." He said as he lowered his hand to her breasts. (A/N: God, that hurt to write that scene. I mean it actually, physically hurt me to write.)

"Eeek!" She squealed. The next thing either of them knew, he was on the ground clutching his bleeding nose as I was standing with my fist where his face was, annoyance evident on my face as I suppressed that killing urge once more.

"Argh! Who the fuck?!"

"Yare yare daze... How full of yourself can you get." About four others rose out of their seats, clearly pissed at me. "She clearly isn't interested in you, so why don't you take your little friends back there, scrape together whatever you can of your big ego, and get the fuck away from my friend. Before I really get pissed." I channeled some of that intent into my voice at the end. A couple of Susano's cronies helped him up. He looked _really_ pissed.

"Oh, that's it, you're dead!"

"Big words from a little dick who can't even stand on his own." He shook his buddies off at that. He then realized the rest of what I said.

"Little di- It's bigger than yours, you little shit!" I calmly raised my eyebrow.

"How exactly would you know that? Have you been stalking me and taking pictures of me in the shower?" He was about to charge at me until…

"VICTOR! SUSANO! COME SEE ME OUTSIDE, NOW!" Ms. Sasaki's voice rang out. We glared at each other before heading outside.

"Exactly what is the malfunction, you two?" She asked with a stern look.

"..."

"..."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. If neither of you want to talk, that's fine. It's the third day of school, so I'll let it slide just this once. But if I find either of you doing this again, it'll be detention for three weeks. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." I said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever, Ms. S." Susano scoffed. Ms. Sasaki walked us back in. Before the two of us went back to our seats, he roughly grabbed my arm.

"I'll see you after school, you little bitch."

"Whatever." I tugged my arm out of his grip and made my way back. Yuri stared wide-eyed at me as I sat down.

"Why did you do that, Victor?"

"Because he was a little shit that needed to be brought down a peg or two."

"But you got in trouble for it!"

"Eh, wouldn't be my first time."

"You know he will want to exact his vengeance on you!" I rose my eyebrows.

"Wow, you might be the only person I know who uses the word 'vengeance', and I really respect that."

"Can you stay focused?! This is a serious issue!" I sighed and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, Yuri, I'll be fine. I've fought worse. That guy and whoever he's gonna bring will be nothing." She looked down, still clearly worried.

"B-Bu-" I smiled.

"And besides, he was kinda disrespecting one of my friends. I couldn't exactly let that go unchecked, now could I?" She looked at me with a blush on her face.

"Y-You think of me as a friend? B-But we've barely spoken…" I rose my eyebrows again.

"Well I mean, are you opposed to the idea?" She started playing with her hair.

"W-Well, I…wouldn't…exactly…be put off by it…" She mumbled. I smiled a little bit more.

"Well, then I consider us friends." She smiled at that. My eyes widened as all the color drained from my face.

"Oh shit… I haven't been paying attention!" I panicked. Yuri giggled at my bullshit.

"H-Here." She slid her paper over so I could see it. "I-I sort of already know all about this, so I went ahead and wrote down all the answers." I smiled.

"Yuri, you're a fucking lifesaver." She blushed and looked away, playing with her hair.

"W-Well...It's the least I could do after you helped me…" She said as I was copying answers.

"Nah, I just really hate jocks." Yuri smiled again, then had a light frown when she looked at my hand again.

"Victor, why is your hand wrapped up?"

"Oh, this? Just an accident from dinner last night. Accidentally cut myself." I lied. She seemed to flinch a little when I said 'cut myself', but I didn't think much of it, figuring she just didn't like the idea of others being injured.

* * *

Fourth period came and passed soon enough, and Yuri and I said our goodbyes as I moved to my fifth period gym class. After changing both my clothes and my bandages in the locker room (and kicking one of Susano's friends in the dick when he tried to ambush me), I stood in the gym in a simple t-shirt with shorts. As I waited, I saw a certain head with long brown hair and a white bow walk in wearing a similar outfit. I smiled when I saw she hadn't noticed me due to my lack of lack of presence. I slowly snuck up on her and slammed my hands onto her shoulders and shook her a little.

"Aaahh!" Monika shouted as she quickly elbowed me in the face.

"Fuck! Not again!" I said as I grabbed my mouth.

"Oh no, I'm sor- wait, again?" Monika questioned.

"Yup, Yuri kinda did somethin' similar last period. Shouldered me right in the chin." I said as I shook off the pain. "So anyway, how are you today?" I said, not noticing the blood coming out the side of my mouth.

"Victor, you do realize you're bleeding, right? I think my well-being should be the least of your worries."

"I am?"

"Rather heavily." She said as she motioned to the corner of her mouth. I touched where she indicated and drew my hand away, seeing a bunch of blood on my finger.

"Eh, it's just a scratch." I said. Monika shook her head.

"I'll be right back." She said with a smile as she walked away with a sway in her hips that I just couldn't keep my eyes off of. What? She's hot. Don't judge me. Anyway, as the other students started coming in, Monika came back with a small white handkerchief that she pressed to the corner of my mouth.

"Monikaaaa! You don't need to do this, I ain't no bitch!" I whined, playfully batting at her wrists. Monika couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes, but it's important to take care of yourself."

"I know, that's why I did this!" I showed her my hand. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my god, Victor, what did you do?!"

"What? My hand slipped while making dinner last night. No biggie." I half-lied. Monika closed her eyes and sighed.

"You really need to be careful…" She muttered. I rose an eyebrow.

"Why are you that concerned? Are you romantically interested in me or something?" I joked.

"Wh-Wh-What? No, no, what are you talking about? That'd be crazy!" She spluttered as her face turned a shade tomato of interesting. No, wait… yeah, that sounds about right. She pulled the handkerchief away from my face to see that the bleeding had stopped. She sighed in relief. Then I heard the murmurs from the other students.

"Hey, is that Monika?"

"You're kidding, right? That's THE Monika?"

"Yeah, that's Monika! She used to be the star of the Volleyball and Tennis teams! She was also the leader of the Debate club and a member of the Music club!"

"Oh my god, she's so beautiful!" I smirked.

"Well someone's certainly popular." I then heard a few more mutters that made me frown.

"Wait, who's that guy she's with?"

"The hell?! Who the fuck's that loser?"

"Why does he get so much attention from her? She should be with me!" That one made me have to control myself again.

"Hey fucker! Get away from my Monika, you don't deserve her!" Surprisingly enough, that one was from a girl. Whatever, I won't judge, love doesn't discriminate. And neither does violence, as I was about to demonstrate before a sharp whistle cut through the din of the crowd.

"Alright, ya bunch of poop knobblers! Now I don't want no screwing around with you batch of meat tossers! The last group thought it'd be funny to shove a corn cob up a student's bunghole! YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?! ...They were asked to leave politely. And it was AWKWARD FOR EVERYONE!" Everyone immediately shut up, although I smiled at that memory. "Now everyone, form up, get double arm intervals, NOW! We'll begin with basic stretches." That was Coach Young. He used to be a drill instructor for the USMC, so of course everyone's too afraid to cross him. After we did our stretches, Coach Young came out with five of those hard rubber balls. "I will be straight up with all of you, I went drinking last night, and am currently dealing with a hangover. So have fun playing dodgeball." He said as he put in earplugs and put on shades. We quickly formed ourselves into two teams, thankfully Monika and I were on the same team. Unfortunately, their team was noticeably bigger than ours.

"This…doesn't seem fair." I muttered to Monika, who nodded in agreement. Seems everyone hates me more than they love Monika. Didn't really think that was possible.

 _*TWEEEEEEEET_

The gym exploded into activity as a few people from each team, including myself, scrambled for one of the balls, while the rest tried to form themselves into a position that would benefit themselves individually. I grabbed a ball and leaned back, avoiding a ball that passed right in front of my face, and threw it back at the bitch who had the balls (heh) to throw it at me, who I'm pretty sure is the guy who questioned why I got attention from Monika, which made it all the more satisfying when I nailed him in the face. After the initial confusion and re-retrieval, we made our way back to our teams, they had two balls, we had three. An odd medical condition, but one I will not complain about. After a while of ducking and dodging and throwing, our team was reduced to just me and Monika while they still had about fifteen left.

"Soooooo… got a plan?" I asked her. She looked around.

"...You get the left, I get the right?" She offered hesitantly as she ducked a ball that clearly went wide since the bitch who threw it was clearly aiming at me. I shrugged as I leaned to avoid another.

"Eh, it's something." I said reassuringly as I caught a ball, getting the thrower out, and used it to deflect another. Monika caught the last one as we charged forth and launched, making sure to aim for the legs to minimize our chances of loss. Heading back to the other three balls, I ducked the two they now had.

"Methinks they don't like me." Monika giggled. She grabbed two balls and I grabbed three, running back and launching them all, getting four of them out since I missed one. We ran awa- _cough_ -made a tactical retreat as they readied their assault. My eyes widened as they launched.

"MOVE!" I grabbed Monika and pulled her out of the way of an incoming ball.

"Whew, thanks, Victor. You saved m-" Her words were cut off as another ball hit her in the side of the head, sending her to the ground in slow motion as my eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"NO!" I screamed, everything still in slow motion. Everything sped back up as I rushed to her side. "Monika?! MONIKA?! Don't you dare die on me!" Monika decided to go along with my act and started coughing.

"Victor…please…promise me something…" She said, acting like she was dying as she reached for my face. "Promise me…my death won't…be…in…vain…" She finished with a 'dying' breath as she let her hand fall limp. I let my hair shadow my eyes as I let loose a few fake tears.

"I swear it, Monika…I swear it…"

Letting loose a deadly glare at the others, I grabbed a ball in each hand and took stock of the enemy.

"Seven, huh?" I smirked. " _I'll take those odds."_ I growled. With more strength than before, I threw each ball in my hand, both projectiles slamming into a head. Running back, I grabbed one more and threw it and missing before diving down under the two that they threw back at me. Coming back up with two more, I threw them before grabbing the last two balls and rushing forward. Since both teams were down to the last five, the gym was no longer divided into two territories. I deflected a ball before slamming one ball into a guy, bringing it around, and taking out one more. ' _Three more.'_ I turned around and brought my ball up to deflect another from the cocky bitch who told me that I didn't deserve Monika, who had another in her hand, bringing up her free hand in a 'come hither' motion. I moved to the side, then curved in straight at her. I _flipped_ over the ball she threw at me, avoiding the ones the other two threw at me, and nailed that bitch in the face, breaking her nose. ' _Two.'_ I turned and actually _hit_ the ball back at one of them, getting her out. ' _There's always one.'_ I looked to see it was the friend of Susano's that tried to jump me in the locker room like a faggot. I sighed as I picked up a ball, having two once more.

"You never learn, do you…" I shot a glare at him. "I'll send you flying!" I shouted, rushing at him. He tried swinging at me, but he missed as I punched at him with the ball. "ORA!" I then began channeling my inner Jotaro.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" As he stood there in a daze, I aimed my last punch carefully and gathered all of my strength. " _ **ORA!"**_ I sent my last punch straight into his dick, sending him five feet off the ground with a distinct shattering sound. Whether it was his pride and his dick, or just his dick, I'll never know. All I know is that he made the highest pitched scream I had ever heard, and it was beautiful. I can now comfortably end this fanfic.

What? You didn't seriously think I would, did ya? Running back to my cheering team, I high-fived each and every one of them, although Monika followed it up with a hip bump, making a lot of the guys jealous as I stuck my tongue out at them and flipped them the bird.

 _*RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGG_

I met up with Monika right after we changed.

"Victor, wonderful work out there!" She cheered. I smirked.

"What are you talking about? You were the one who did all the acting." I complimented. "So where you headed now?" She did a quick of her schedule.

"I have Language Arts with Ms. Sasaki. What about you?"

"Biology with Mrs. Yamaguchi." I said as Monika stared wide-eyed.

"You already have your schedule memorized?!"

"Yup."

"How?!"

"Errr…"

 _*Cue flashback of me hacking into the school's mainframe to see mine and Ri's schedules._

"...I did a thing that let me do the thing. See ya later, Monika."

"See you at the club meet, Victor!" She said as we split up.

"Shit, I forgot about that. Good thing I wrote my...poem…" I realized I left my notebook at Ri's house. "...Fuck." I walked into my next class, seeing a certain pink-haired midget sitting there. Natsuki looked up and made a face as I sat down next to her.

"Oh, it's you."

"Heya, kid."

"Wha- Kid?! I'm not a kid!"

"Yeah, right, what are you, ten?"

"I'm sixteen!"

"You look ten." I teased. She looked pissed. Thinking for a moment, I pointed a finger at her.

"Have we met somewhere before?" She shot me a dry look.

"Uh, the Literature Club? Or did you already forget?"

"Nono, I mean besides the club. I swear I've seen you before." She smirked.

"Well, I am pretty popular. I did rank 3rd at the UMvC3 Internationals last year." She boasted. I slapped my forehead.

"Oh yeah, I remember now! You're qt33_c4k3_88!"

"Yeah, I know-"

"I'm 5pl1t_pl4y3r!" Her face immediately went blank.

"What."

"Yeah! Ugh, I KNEW I had seen you before, I just couldn't remember where!"

"You're 5pl1t_pl4y3r."

"Yes."

"The International UMvC3 champion."

"Yes."

"The guy who beat the last champion, matrix_d0dger, in the finals."

"Yes."

"...I don't believe you." I recoiled in shock.

"What?! But I is!"

"Yeah right. Who did Matrix use in the finals?"

"Wolverine, Storm, and Sentinel." Her narrowed.

"Who did you beat him with and how?"

"Oh god, I still remember it like it was yesterday..."

" _I remember I was using my main team, Dante, Joe, and Wright…and losing. He had already killed Joe and Wright, and was close to killing Dante, too. Meanwhile, his Storm and Sentinel had full health and his Wolverine had maybe a third of his health lost. I couldn't get a good hit in for a while until his Storm brought Dante down to where one hit would end it. We wound up at opposite ends of the stage, waiting for the next move. Then, somehow, when I went Devil Trigger, I just turned everything around on him. I killed off his Storm before DT wore off, then finished off his Wolverine. He put up a fight with Sentinel, but he was dead before long, too. I had sighed and leaned back in sheer 'How the fuck did I pull that off?', Matrix had stomped off, and just a few seconds later, Ri had tackled me to the ground in a hug."_

Natsuki stared at me. "It is you…" She then crossed her arms and turned her nose up. "Well, whatever! I could beat you! Matrix just got lucky!" I smiled.

"Yeah, probably." She looked shocked. "I don't know how you play, and I just barely beat Matrix. 'Fact, you're part of the reason I won." She started spluttering.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-"

"Yeah. Remember when he cornered you after your match?"

" _...I'm honestly shocked you even got in at all." My head perked up as I recognized the voice of the champion. But who was he talking to…? I looked around the corner. Wait, isn't that the girl he just fought? What was her username? qt33_c4k3_88 or something?_

" _What?" She sounded to be on the verge of tears._

" _A little girl like you? Your kind doesn't belong here. Next time, step aside and let the big boys play." I started hearing Qt's sobs._

" _ **You shut the fuck up!"**_ _Both her and I said at the same time as I stormed over, garnering both of their attentions. Matrix's quirked an eyebrow._

" _Who the hell are you supposed to be?" I jabbed a thumb to my chest._

" _The asshole who's taking you down tomorrow! I suggest you focus on that instead of picking on a little girl (hey!) who was clearly skilled enough to get this far and hold her own against you, you piece of shit!" I said, venting my rage at his behavior. I had always thought a proper champion should be respectful, commending those who they've beaten and congratulating the next champion if they are beaten. But this asshole…No, I promised Sayori I would control myself. Matrix scoffed._

" _So your 5pl1t_pl4y3r, huh?" He smirked. "Well, I look forward to destroying you tomorrow." He said as he walked away. I heard a sniffle from my side and looked back at Qt. She looked ready to break down. I sighed._

" _Look, Qt, I don't know what he said, but-"_

" _He's right…"_

" _Huh?"_

" _I shouldn't have come here…I knew what my father would do if he found out, but I came anyway, and I couldn't even win…So now he…he… *sob*..." I rubbed her hair through the tournament hoodie we all wore to help hide our real identities._

" _Listen, it doesn't matter. I don't know what your home life is like, but it sounds like you took a pretty big risk just to come here. Not only does that show you've got some balls, you also came so far in the tournament, so you've got a lot of skill, no matter what he said. What he did was uncalled for." I comforted her. She looked up at me, and I could see bright pink eyes under her hood._

" _But my father...he knows I left now, and if I don't come back with anything..."_

" _Hey hey hey, don't worry about that. When I win, I'll split the prize money with you. That way, you can go home with something." I consoled as I lowered myself to her level and put my hands on her shoulders. She sniffled again._

" _D-do you really mean that, Player? Will you really give me $500,000?" Hope filled her eyes. I smiled._

" _Yeah. I wouldn't do much with it anyways." I said with a wave as I began to walk away. "See ya, Qt."_

" _Wait!" I looked back at her. "How can you be so sure you'll beat Matrix? Not even I could beat him!" I smirked._

" _Because, you're not the only good Player here. I'm confident in my skills. And there's one more thing." I looked her in the eye. "He needs to pay for what he said."_

"Wait, you only beat him because you had a reason to?" Natsuki questioned. I thought for a moment.

"...Yeah, that sounds about right." Realization seemed to dawn in her eyes.

"So what you're saying is that I can beat the Champ?!" My eyes widened in nervous horror.

"...Maybe, he said hesitantly?" A predatory grin spread across her face.

"You better watch out, Victor~. I'm coming for you~." _Oh shit._

An idea popped into my head. "Wait, hold on, I've got an idea." I reiterated the narration. Natsuki frowned.

"Hey! I was in the middle of talking!" I held up my hand in a placating manner.

"Nonono, hear me out. I recently picked up Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, yeah?" Her eyes widened. "But I haven't really gotten around to playing it yet. So I was thinkin' that maybe~ I could be convinced to bring it and my PS4 to school…If you did a little something for me." I offered with a wink. Natsuki looked angry.

"What the hell kind of girl do you take me for?!" My eyes widened as her tone implied that she thought I wanted a sexual favor.

"Wait, what? NO! Nothing like that!" I said in a panic, not wanting to incur the wrath of this small angry pink midget. She calmed down somewhat.

"Then what were you talking about?"

"Well I mean, I was thinkin' that maybe~ you could bring in a couple trays of those baked goods like you did yesterday…because holy shit, I wasn't lying when I said that shit was amazing." She turned a little red at that, then puffed out her chest with a cocky grin, making her look cute.

"Well, OF COURSE they're amazing! I did make them, after all!" I smiled and ruffled her hair, immediately pissing her off.

"HEY!"

"Hey, it was a survival tactic so I didn't die from cute overdose!"

" _I'm not cute!"_

 _*RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGG_

I quickly grabbed my shit and narrationed my position the fuck out of there to escape the wrath of the midget. Arriving in my free period class, and I hesitate to use the word 'class', I set my shit down. With nothing to do, I lay my head down and decide to take a nap.

This dream was even stranger than the last.

* * *

 _A black abyss filled with code. The world looking to be decoded. A small girl with glowing hair and a white dress. Yuri being stabbed. Natsuki having her neck snapped. Monika glitching out. Myself fighting Myself._

" _ **I'm going to rip out your guts and hang you with them for what you did to them!"**_

* * *

My eyes shot open just as the bell rang again.

' _What the hell? I don't…What the hell was that? What the hell was happening? And…Who was that girl?'_

I walked my way out of the classroom and headed outside so I could teach a few faggots a lesson. However, Yuri walked up to me along the way.

"Victor?" I glanced at her.

"Hm? Oh, hey Yuri."

"Where are you going? The clubroom is this way."

"I know. But those bitches from this morning are this way." Her eyes widened.

"What?! Victor, you can not still mean to fight them, you'll get hurt!" I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, Yuri, I told you I'll be fine, and I meant it. Just have a little faith in me yeah?"

"B-But…"

"If you want to help, can you tell the others that I'll be running a little late?"

"...Okay…But please promise me you'll be safe!" I smiled and patted her head, then frowned in confusion.

"Are…Are you taller than me a little bit?" She turned a little red and looked away, playing with her hair. "Questions for later. Look, Yuri, I'll be fine. I promise." I said reassuringly. "Just let the others know that I'll be there in a bit. I'll come back." I said as I began walking away. I walked outside into the courtyard to see Susano there, along with 6 of his friends. I sighed.

"All right, you fuckin' pussies. Let me teach you what happens when you fuck with my friends."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the classroom…

Monika, Sayori, and Natsuki were patiently waiting for Yuri and Victor to show up so they can start the meeting when Yuri walked in, everyone turning to her.

"Ah, Yuri, there you are!" Monika said with a smile. "Say, you didn't happen to see Victor on your way did you?" Yuri brushed her hair back.

"W-Well…Victor said that he is…going to be a little bit late." Natsuki got angry.

"What could be so important that he won't come to the meeting?!"

"Er, you see…" Yuri explained everything to them.

"WHAT?!" Monika and Natsuki exclaimed in horror.

"We have to help him!" Monika said.

"I'll call the ambulance." Sayori said. Yuri stared at her in shock.

"D-Do you really think they'll hurt him that bad?" Sayori stared at her in confusion.

"Huh?" She then realized her meaning. "OH! Oh, no, you don't understand, the ambulance is for them." The others stared at her.

"Wh…What?" Monika uttered.

"Yeah. Vic'll be fine, he doesn't need us."

"What are you saying, he's all alone against…however many Susano has!"

"So?"

"So?!" Natsuki shouted. "You are his best friend, why are you not worried?!"

"Because he'll be fine." Natsuki growled at Sayori.

"I can't believe this! You are a horrible friend! C'mon, you two, let's go." Natsuki said with a glare as she walked out, Monika and Yuri following. Sayori looked down, hurt at Natsuki's words. She then realized something.

"Well, while I'm waiting…" She said as she walked to the bathroom.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other three were walking to the courtyard.

"Natsuki…" Monika said. "Don't you think you were a little…harsh on Sayori?"

"Whatever. All I know is that Victor needs our help and she didn't want to help like a real friend should." She said angrily. They got outside and stopped in shock. Laying around the courtyard were Susano's friends bloodied and bruised, some of them with broken limbs, one of them clutching his dick, all of them groaning in immense pain. Meanwhile, I was on top of Susano, both of his arms broken while I was pummeling his face in. "What the hell…?" I looked back.

"Oh hey, what brings you three out to this neck o' the woods?" They merely stared.

"H-how did you…"

"What? They were a bunch of pussies, I told you I'd be fine." I said nonchalantly as I gave Susano's face another punch and got off him. "Welp, that's the end of class. Let's go." I said, walking towards the three of them. They hesitated, then began walking back to the clubroom. As I was walking, my hand brushed against my pocket.

"The hell?" I said, feeling something in there. I pulled it out. "A note?" I unfolded the paper, raising my eyebrow when I saw it was…a poem? Then my eyes narrowed when I read it.

 _Roses are red_

 _Violets are blue_

 _You seem to have many friends_

 _That care about you_

 _Blood is red_

 _Bruises are blue_

 _Your friends will soon be dead_

 _Don't say I didn't warn you_

I looked at it with a furious gaze, as if trying to burn a hole in it, then suddenly looked up with a normal look as I crumpled up the poem into a ball and tossed it behind me. Walking back to the clubroom, I sat down at the desk table, then realized someone was missing.

"Where's Ri?" I heard the door open to see Sayori walk in, wiping her hands on a paper towel. She looked at me, then looked at the others.

"So he won, yeah?" I burst out laughing.

"See? She had the right idea." I said, pointing at Sayori.

* * *

 **Hey, I hope you all enjoyed! I initially wanted to do the first club meeting, but I got there, and I realized that I was already at like seven thousand words and I was like, "You know what? That's gonna be the next chapter." So anyway, hope you enjoyed! I already said that. Let me know what you all think. Was it okay, what do you think I can improve on, do you think I wrote the girls correctly, any feedback is always appreciated.**

 **In another unrelated matter, I myself have never played UMvC3, and I absolutely suck at MvCi. If any of you have any tips on being good (I want to have Dante as part of my main team, if that helps) that would also be greatly appreciated, and I will personally make a whole part of the special thanks at the end dedicated to everyone who does this.**

 **Anyway, that's all for now. See ya next time!**


	4. Status Update

Heya everyone! So I know it's been a hot minute, but hear me out. So. since the last chapter, my leave ended and I had to fly back to my duty station, then we spent the next month getting everything ready to go to Japan. During that time, my copy of DDLC stopped working, so I couldn't keep writing since I'm writing the next club meet and didn't have the source material. So I'm currently in Japan, specifically on the island of Okinawa, been here for about 3 weeks, and things have calmed down. Not only that, but I finally got DDLC working again about 10 minutes ago! I have work tomorrow for 24 hours, but rest assured, after that I'll be back and working on this thing. I reckon I'll be able to get it done sometime in the next couple weeks. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting for so long, but I'm back and here to stay!...at least until six months later when we make the pack up and trip back. Man, sometimes, fuck this place.


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